Why did Stalin gain power from 1924?

LENIN'S TESTAMENT

• Unpublished set of negative comments about other members of Politburo 
• Stalin a) did not take discussions with Georgian respresentatives seriously enough, b) insulted Lenin's wife. Lenin called for his removal from his position as General Secretary 

LENIN'S FUNERAL

• Stalin delivered oration on behalf of Politburo, so he appeared to be the leading mourner
• Speech: dedicated self to following Lenin's orders and ideas
• Trotsky offered this honour. Declined, and did not come to funeral.

KEY POLICIES

• Lenin Enrolment: 1923-25 - membership increased 340,000 to 600,000. New members= unsophisticated, but aware that membership depended on loyalty. Stalin used it to increase power, gaining a reliable body of votes
• Factionalism: 1921 - Lenin condemned party divisions and attempts to criticise party policies. Meant Stalin could resist any challenge to his growing authority.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/grids/stalins-positions-3

HISTORY

• Intellectually brilliant, cultured and flamboyant, unlike the practical Proletariats of the CPSU
• Major flaws that prevented success: uncertain, didn't take advantage of situations to improve, had bad judgement. Didn't inspire loyalty
• Created Red Army
• Had been Menshevik until revolution - others did not trust him
• Tried to condemn bureucratisation but this only made him more unpopoular

PERMANENT REVOLUTION VS SOCIALISM IN ONE COUNTRY

• Trotsky wanted a continuous revolution process spreading between countries. Considered 1917 revolution the first step. Thought this would be the only way for USSR to be a safe socialist state in a conservative Europe that made the new Russia struggle
• Stalin portrayed this idea as intent on damaging USSR (not Trotsky's idea)
• Stalin came up with "Socialism in One Country" to oppose this idea - aimed to turn USSR into a modern, self-dependent state before exporting the revolution
• Created an image of Trotsky as an isolated, posturing Jew who had plans to threaten USSR. Image held as people still feared capitalist invasion

BACKGROUND

• Created by Lenin 1921 as a temporary relaxing of strict socialism
• Appeased peasants to meet need for food: restored public markets, replaced requisitioning with taxes, allowed peasants to sell surpluses
• Right Communists: NEP had fulfilled purpose, was now betraying the revolution
• Left Communists: wanted to honour Lenin by keeping what he created

STALIN'S EXPLOITATION

• Dispute quickly developed to question party loyalty and political correctness
• Trotsky = left. Supported Lenin 1921, but 1923 criticised Gosplan for 'errors in economic policy'. Thought that the government was starting to prioritise NEPmen over the revolution
• Stalin made Trotsky look like an enemy, but he did not make his own views clear

MODERNISATION

• USSR needed to industrialise to become a modern state, but couldn't settle how
• To industrialise, they needed resources and capital. Only usable resource = 80% peasant population (no money to extract raw materials, and would not borrow)
• Right wanted to persuade the peasants to produce a surplus, Left wanted to force.

1925

• Trotsky could not get support for Permanent Revolution thanks to the Stalin, Kamenev, and Zinoviev triumvirate. Was relieved of his position as Commissar for War 
• Triumvirate began to break up: Stalin getting closer to other Politburo members.
• Kamenev and Zinoviev responded by publicly stating their belif in Permanent Revolution

KAMENEV AND ZINOVIEV

• Personally disliked Trotsky - he kept reminding people that they didn't support Lenin 1917
• Were party bosses in Moscow and Leningrad (industrial areas) so they wanted to abandon NEP and enforce industrialisation
• Formed United Opposition with Trotsky 1926. Outvoted by Stalin and the Right
• Replaced by Molotov and Kirov (Stalin's supporters)

TROTSKY

• Expelled from Politburo and Central Committe when United Opposition failed
• 1927- tried to directly challenge Stalin. Outvoted again. Exiled internally.
• 1929- exiled from USSR, went to South America

COLLECTIVISATION AND INDUSTRIALISATION

• Collectivisation: forcing peasants to work communally by pooling what they own
• Industrialisation: scheme of building factories for heavy goods (e.g. iron)
• 1928 - Stalin decided only these drastic measures would solve problems of USSR
• Right (Bukharin, Tomsky, Rykov)  did not want pace to be forced by state, only guided: could lead to resentful and unproductive peasants. Wanted to give them the option to prosper
• Bukharin: Stalin's policy (of enforced collections of fixed grain quotas) = unproductive. Also highlighted that Stalin's policy = Trotsky's policy

RIGHT WEAKNESSES

• Ideas: Focussed on economic problems - not an apparent priority in 1920s. Lenient with peasants - people preferred hardline policy. Stalin considered they underestimated the crisis facing the party.
• Organisation: Couldn't spread ideas - Stalin master of party organisation. Couldn't fully oppose Stalin - would be seen as disloyalty/factionalism. Stalin's supporters distributed party information so he easily belittled them
• Support: only trade unions, which Stalin purged of opposition
• 1929 - defeat. Bukharin voted out of Comintern and Politburo.